First off, thank you to everyone who stops by to read my blog. I have enjoyed the feedback, and I am grateful for each and every one of your opinions. Feel free to come by Twitter (@LewPolley) to chat.

After the quarterfinal fights were announced, I knew that wins were going to come down to matchups and gameplans. I do feel to create more of a dynamic showcase of talent, they should have had teammates fight each other. It would have added more spice to the fights and more edge to the overall appeal of what the show is all about. Also, Dana White wants teammates to fight each other in the UFC. Well, what better place to illustrate that than “The Ultimate Fighter”? It would send an early message to the new guys coming in that this scenario could happen anytime.

Ramsey vs. Clay

Ramsey Nijem has really good cardio and is able to set and keep a high pace of action. What he lacks technically, he makes up for with intensity. Even though everyone knows what he wants to do, it seems that he forces his opponents into his world. A glaring weakness would be his transitions from hands to takedowns or just pure striking in general. Yet he has the tools to keep his weaknesses from showing themselves by imposing his will.

Clay Harvison is a really tough fighter who loves to compete. He will stand and bang with almost anyone. He seems unwavering when he is met with aggression. He is also capable of throwing his hands at will, which is a problem for most. He doesn’t care about safety – only seeking to cause damage. His weaknesses are concentrated in the grappling arts: wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

The fight was very one-sided. Ramsey tried for a big overhand right and missed. Clay then pushed forward and became over-aggressive, with his feet planted too firmly. Ramsey smartly recognized this and changed levels. Once the fight hit the ground, a slight scramble ensued and Ramsey took Clays back. The fight ended quickly with a rear-naked choke.

Shamar vs Chris

Shamar Bailey is strong, explosive and athletic. He learns very quickly and follows a gameplan well. He has good wrestling and control once in the top position. Technically speaking, he has a few loose ends he needs to address with striking and controlling distance. But he has the potential to take over a fight off of his ability alone. He understands the flow of a fight and how to break someone’s rhythm.

Chris has the ability to hang around in a fight. He does just enough to look busy. He has a point-fighting style that appeals to judges. He moves fairly well, giving his opponents many angles and looks that may off-balance certain people. He defends well against the cage. However, he is limited, at best, on the ground and is not as well-versed defending takedowns in the open.

Shamar started out aggressive and pushed forward looking to control the center. He pushed Chris against the cage, and both fighters appeared busy landing knee strikes and short shots. The fighters separated and Shamar pressed and followed Chris instead of cutting him off. The fighters had short exchanges with Shamar committing a bit more on his shots, and Shamar pressed and pushed the action as the round ended.

I feel Shamar won the round solely based on what is supposed to be judging criteria. He controlled where the fight took place, he was the most aggressive and pressed the action with cleaner landing of strikes. Bouncing around and defending takedowns does not constitute controlling a fight.

The second round started with Chris gaining a bit more confidence in his approach. He started to let his hands go more, which showed he was starting to get over whatever insecurities he had at the beginning of the fight. Shamar pressed forward and got Chris on the cage, but Chris battled for a bit and managed to get off.

Chris was throwing punches in combinations and Shamar was only throwing single shots. That was allowing Chris to find his rhythm. Shamar recognized this and immediately worked Chris to the cage and started throwing short shots. Chris again countered and reversed the position. The round was going back and forth, but Shamar was forcing the fight to the cage, while Chris just looked busy. The round ended with everyone on Junior Dos Santos’ team thinking the same thing: Shamar did enough to win. Instead, the judges render a decision in favor of Chris.

I had told Shamar that in those situations, you have to be decisive and nullify any chance to give the other guy a break. Chris is a momentum fighter, and you have to take the idea of winning out of his mind completely by outclassing him. If you get him in a bad spot, keep him there. Chris is like herpes he will hang around forever if you let him.

On a side note, judging has to be more clear-cut. What exactly are judges scoring and what constitutes controlling a round? What is damage? How do you measure damage? If both fighters look the same, how do you know who did more?

I mention this because of fights like Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann, every fight with Nik Lentz, Kampmann vs. Jake Shields and Alan Belcher vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama. What is the criteria for judging? In each one of the aforementioned examples, the judging was very different.

Lentz does very little to no damage but wins based on control and position. Kampmann lost both fights but did way more damage throughout the entirety of each contest. Belcher completely outstruck Akiyama and did more damage but lost. I’m not saying that this fight was on that level, but I do feel Shamar won – or at worst should have gone to a third round. Maybe I am a little biased, but I know what I saw, and that was a guy lose based on bad judging.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.